Considering that jewels are the chief adornment of women's dress, it is curious that so little attention should be given to the wearing of them. Many of the historic jewels in England were brought out with a view to their being worn at the Royal wedding festivities, but probably the most done to show them off was to choose a gown of a colour that will not "clash" with them. The owner is doubtless aware that the great value of the particular stones she owns consists in their being perfectly matched or of the tint that is most prized, but she fails to realize that no jewel shows its greatest beauty unless its most becoming background is provided for it.
The cruellest way to treat any jewel is to wear it over sparkling embroidery, which distracts the eye and breaks up the depth of colour and the reflexions of the precious stone. It also gives an unpleasant feeling that injury is being caused by the hard substances rubbing against each other. The colour of translucent stones 15 always enhanced by a. brilliant shade of their own tone worn with them, just as grey-blue eyes look much brighter when near a positive blue.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.